'r^< 



^^ 









V f " • °- O 









A. 



.^^'V 
V ^ 






>.Q-^^, 




<^ 'o . . - ,0 






K-" <^ 



.^ 



^^-^^ 



"^0 

.4 o 






.r 



'^ 



V 



'^ 



o 



^o> 






*' 0^ 






.^V^. 



""^O 




o 


•<■ . - 


0, ^o " 


'\ir.. 


o 








"^ 




.,. "^- 







^m \^ 






-^ -r. 



C<is. 



^-1°^ 










;^ 













^^-V. 









,G 









C^ 



0' 



V 



.^"^ 



^\ 



:^^ 



^^ 









.,-i' 






-<«^ 



j.°-ni 



..^■^ 









'"^^S 



AN 



ADDRESS 



DELIVERED 



ON THE VIII OF OCTOBER, MDCCCXXX, 



SECOND CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY, 



SETTLEMENT OF ROXBURY. 



BY H. A\ S': DEARBORN. 



I praise God, we have many occasions of comfort here. — Gov. Wint. 
-'>'»^' .-^ '^^ 

LIRBARY ' 

ROXBTTUY: 

PUBLISHED BY CHARLES P. EMMONS. 
J. H. Eastburn... .Printer.. ..Boston, 




MDCCCXXX. 



\t\,i\i 



DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS— <o wit : 

District Clerk's Offi,»^. 
BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the nineteenth day of October, A. D. 
1830, in the fifty fifth year of the Independence of the United States of 
America, CHARLES P. EMMONS, of the said District, has deposited 
in this Office the Title of a Book, the Right whereof he claims as Pro- 
prietor, in the words following, to wit: 

" An Address delivered on the viii of October, mdcccxxx, the Second 
Centennial Anniversary, of the Settlement of Roxbury. By H. A. S. 
Dearborn. 
I praise God, we have many occasions of comfort here. — Gov. Wint." 

In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United Slates, entitled 
"An Act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of 
Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such copies, 
during the times therein mentioned :" and also to an Act entitled " An 
Act supplementary to an Act, entitled, an Act for the enuouragement of 
learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books to the Au- 
thors and Proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned ; 
and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, 
end etching historical and other prints." 

JNO- W. DAVIS, 
Clerk of thQ District of Massachusetts. 






TOWN OF ROXBURY. 



At a meeting of the Citizens of Roxbury, held on the 8ih of 
October, 1830, it was Voted — That the Selectmen of the Town be 
a Committee, to wait on the Hon. Henry A. S. Dearborn, and in 
behalf of tlieir fellow citizens, to thank him, for the eloquent, and 
truly patriotic Address, deH\ ered by liim, on that day, in commem- 
aration of the first settlement of the Town, and to i-equest, of him, 
a copy for the press. 

The Subscribers, Selectmen of Roxburj'^, in communicating the 
ibove Vote, would individually express their hopes, that the re- 
s[iiest, therein contained, will be complied with. 

Elijah Lewis, 
B. P. Williams, 
Jonathan Dorr, 
Samuel Guild, 
Jacob Tidd. 
Roxbury, October 13, 1830. 



Brinley Place, Roxbury, October 14, 1830. 
Gentlemen, 
I am hghly gratified to learn, that the Address, which I had 
he honor to deliver, on the Second Centennial Anniversary of the 
Settlement of Roxbury, was acceptable to my fellow citizens : and 
[ cheerfully place it in your hands for publication. 
Very Respectfully, 

Your Obedient Servant, 

H. A. S. DEARBORN. 

Elijah Lewis, B. P. Williams, Jonathan Dorr, Samuel Guild, and 
Facob Tidd, Esq'rs, Selectmen of Roxbury. 



ADDRESS. 



Fellow Citizens, 

The most instructive lessons of history, are those, 
which delineate the progress of civilization, the de- 
velopement of morals, the davi^nings of intelligence, 
and the glorious effects of exalted attainments, in 
science, literature and the arts. Wars, and battles 
and martial deeds rouse the imagination, excite a 
startling interest, and give an imposing splendour to 
the character of nations ; but the youthful and ar- 
dent should be admonished, to consider them, as la- 
mentable incidents in the annals of the human race, — 
as the awful results of unprincipled ambition, or the 
horrible pursuits of barbarians, which are to be de- 
precated, rather than deemed worthy of emulation. 

The proud array of armies and the tremendous 
conflicts of the battle-field, have, too generally, been 
the chief and favorite themes of the historian ; but 
how deleterious has been their influence, upon the 
character of man ; how adverse to the progress of 
virtue and how fatal to the prosperity of empires ? 
General decadence and ultimate ruin are the inev- 
itable consequences. They have prostrated the mon- 
uments of civilization, eclipsed the sun of intelli- 



gence, and for centuries involved the whole earth, 
in the cold and cheerless night of ignorance and su- 
perstition ! 

National pride may be fluttered, in commemo- 
rating the names of distinguished heroes, and the 
victories they had achieved, — and when for liberty 
and independence, — when in defence of personal 
and public security, this is commendable. But the 
most renowned captains, had far different objects ; 
their sanguinary campaigns, were rather for con- 
quest, plunder, and universal domination, than the 
vindication of rights, or the resistance of outrage. 
Still such has been the apparent national proclivity 
of man, and of nations, for military fame, that the 
science of war has been more zealously cultivated, 
than the arts of peace ; and the w^ealth and resour- 
ces of kingdoms have been estimated, only as the 
means of rendering them powerful in the field, and 
not as the measure of the happiness, intelligence and 
virtues of the people. 

The most glorious epochs and scycles, in the annals 
of the w orld, are not those, which are designated by 
battles and memorable conquests ; like tempests and 
earthquakes, their grandeur astonishes and their ter- 
rors command attention ; but they afford no practi- 
cal instruction, — add nothing to the fund of human 
knowledge, — aid not in the developements of the 
mind, in elevating the morals, in ameliorating the 
condition of society, or in accelerating the progress 
of general civilization. These are the happy results 
of intellectual cultivation, the enjoyments, which are 
only secured, under the benign influence of peace ; 
the blessings, which flow from purity of heart and 



lofty conceptions of religious duty. To duly appre- 
ciate them, and render them still more subservient 
to the great purposes of individual and national ex- 
altation, history must be examined with philosoph- 
ical discrimination, a just conception of the true 
objects of social and political institutions, and en- 
larged views of the attainable perfection, happiness 
and dignity of human nature ; a watchful observance 
must be given to those unobtrusive incidents, which 
mark the earliest awakenings of reason, the incip- 
ient indications of independence of thought and of 
action ; the first movements of that majestic spirit of 
liberty, Avhich demands the exercise of natural rights, 
the recognition of the eternal principles of justice and 
morality, and the establishment of government, on the 
broad foundations of civil and religious freedom. 

In the prosecution of this interesting inquiry, the 
history of the physical exploits of men and of na- 
tions, is of but little moment, compared with that of 
their moral attainments, and intellectual advance- 
ment. It is those acts, events, and eras, which are 
memorable for their association with the latter, that 
have claimed the profoundest consideration, and in- 
duced the most laborious researches of the philan- 
thropic statesman and legislator, — of those illustrious 
benefactors of man, who have been more ambitious 
to render their country preeminent for the virtues, 
intelligence and happiness of the people, than for 
victories gained, or provinces subdued- 
Entertaining such opinions in relation to the re- 
sponsible duties of the historian, the objects to 
which his labors should be directed, and the pur- 
poses of their appropriation, it may be readily per- 



8 



ceived, that I have assumed a task far beyond my 
humble powers ; — that I am incapable of traversing 
that vast domain, with either honor to myself, or the 
event which we have assembled to commemorate ; 
but so familiar are the motives which prompted our 
forefathers to abandon their native land, and found 
an empire in this distant region ; so conspicuous are 
the results of their bold and adventurous career, that 
I rely on your own vivid recollections for the appli- 
cation of the principles I have assumed, knowing, 
full well, how inadequate are my abilities, to illus- 
trate them, in a manner commensurate with their 
importance ; and how presumptuous is the attempt, to 
enter that immense field of inquiry, where the mighty 
genius of a Webster, the learning, and eloquence of 
a Story, an Everett and a Quincy have been so suc- 
cessfully displayed. I may be lighted onward, by the 
effulgence they have thrown, into its darkest recesses; 
but cannot expect to follow out, the lengthened ave- 
nues of research, which they have opened, — to ascend 
those giddy heights, whence inspiration comes, and 
where they have dared to range, — or to increase the 
treasures, which they have brought back, to enrich 
the majestic temple of knowledge. 

The causes which produced the republics of New- 
England, are to be sought in the history of the Re- 
formation. During the religious convulsions, which 
agitated the British empire, from the reign of Henry 
VIII. to the death of Charles I., a spirit of freedom 
w^as aroused, w^hichthe mandates of sovereigns could 
not subdue, or the fires of Smithfield extinguish. — 
Having bid defiance to the thunders of the Vatican, 
and guided our adventurous ancestors through the 



9 

perils of the deep, it prostrated, for a time, the regal 
government of England, and ultimately broke the 
blood-stained sceptre of the disastrous house of Stu- 
art. 

The two great parties which divided the church, 
and alternately bore sway, from the abolition of 
pontifical power, until the revolution, were Protes- 
tants and Papists ; but the former soon separated into 
two other sects, or denominations, called Conform- 
ists and Puritans. The Puritans rejected the old 
catholic ceremonies, as unscriptural, and were in 
favor of apostolical purity, in disci^^line, worship and 
doctrine ; but they long continued to remain in the 
established church, believing, that their being re- 
strained by human laws, neither destroyed their 
rights, or christian character. At length, so oppres- 
sive became the e^^actions and penalties of the Gov- 
ernment, that some of the more independent min- 
isters, with their adherents, renounced all con- 
nexion with the church, and formed others, under 
the name of Separatists ; but they were speed- 
ily compelled to seek refuge from persecution, on 
the European continent, where the great Luther had 
first unfurled the standard of the Reformation. The 
colonists of Plymouth were of this exiled sect ; while 
the settlers of Massachusetts Bay were Puritans, 
who had been brought up in the national Church, and 
lived in communion with her, until hierarchal tyranny 
became so rigorous and uncompromising, that they 
also, were obliged to flee to this common refuge of 
liberty, from the unrelenting wrath of the vindictive 
Whitgift, the furious Bancroft, and of the merciless 
and remorseless Laud. 
2 



10 



In 1617, Robinson's church, which was established 
at Leyden, sent agents to London, to treat with the 
Virginia Company, for a place of settlement in North 
America ; and an arrangement having been complet- 
ed, after much trouble and delay, the first expedition 
under Governor Carver, left England in August, 
1620, and landed at Plymouth, the following Decem- 
ber. 

The privations and sufferings of this pious pilgrim 
band, on these bleak and savage shores, might have 
appalled stouter hearts and more energetic minds. 
Cold, hunger, sickness, despondence and death came 
upon them, in all their horrors. In less than three 
months half their numbers perished. With what 
fond, yet sad recollection, did they look out upon that 
wilderness of waters, which separated them from 
their own dear England ; and how withering was 
the dreary prospect which surrounded them ; how 
mournful their humble dwellings, how poignant their 
griefs, and how deep their sorrows, during that long- 
tempestuous and melancholy winter. Not a ray of 
joy beamed upon the care-worn brows of those holy 
adventurers, and nothing but a firm confidence, in 
the mercy and protection of God, prevented all from 
sinking down, in absolute despair. A zealous de- 
votion to the rights of conscience, a sanguine be 
lief in the sacredness of their cause, and the consola- 
tory reflection, that they were opening the way for 
propagating the sublime precepts of Christianity, in 
the remotest ends of the earth, gave encouragement 
to hope, and cheered them on, in their perilous career. 
Athwart the impending gloom, they beheld the far-dis- 
tant glimmerings of a glorious future, and with apos- 



11 



tolic resolution, triumphantly reared the first column 
of civil and religious freedom, on the snow-capt 
heights of New-England. 

The various and wondrous rumours, from this 
western world, — so full of peril and of promise, — 
came like prophetic whisperings to the much wrong- 
ed, long-suffering, yet steadfast Puritans of the old. 
They hailed them as the enunciation of an exodus, 
by which alone they could be delivered from the 
onerous grievances of mental bondage, and those 
wanton acts of cruelty and injustice, which stigma- 
tized the character of the reigning monarch. Glow- 
ing with the enthusiasm of that age of general excite- 
ment, — that era of discovery, many soon came to the 
determination of encountering the present hardships, 
that they might participate in the prospective bene- 
fits of emigrants. If no divine messenger, lawgiver 
and leader, like him from Horeb, came with the glad 
tidings of emancipation, they doubted not their fortu- 
nate destinies; the route had been designated, as by 
the finger of the Almighty ; freedom waved them 
onward, and they resolved to go forth, to this great 
Canaan of universal refuge, where they might realise 
the full enjoyment of all their rights. 

These bright conceptions were so fraught with 
alluring incentives to vigorous action, and practical 
illustration, that a plan was projected, as early as 
1G27, by a number of respectable gentlemen of Lin- 
colnshire, for forming a settlement in Massachusetts 
Bay ; and being joined by other distinguished adven- 
turers of London and Dorsetshire, it was ultimately 
matured, and a grant was obtained, on the 19th of 
March, 1628, of all the land, from three miles south 



i2 



of Charles river, to three miles north of Merrimac 
river, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean.* 

In June, 1 628, Captain John Endicott was sent to 
Salem, t where he arrived in September with a small 
party, " to make way for settling a colony there."! 
The following year, he was joined by about three 
hundred emigrants. 

Scarcely had these pioneers of civilization landed, 
before they began to experience the disastrous con- 
sequences of great exposure, fatigue, the want of 
wholesome food and comfortable dwellings: still so 
favorable was the information, which was transmitted 
to the company, as to soil, climate, general aspect of 
the country, and the advantages which it offered to 
the enterprizing and industrious, it was determined, 
at a meeting held in London on the 29th of August, 
1629, "that the patent and government of the plan- 
tation should be transferred to New-England."^ 

In conformity to this arrangement, preparations 
were commenced in October, for sending out a large 
colony; and John Winthrop having been elected 
Governor, and Thomas Dudley Deputy Governor, a 
fleet of fourteen sail left England before the end of 
May, 1 630, in which were embarked fifteen hundred 
passengers. 11 

The Governor arrived at Salem in the Arabella on 
the 12th of June, and the remaining ships soon after 
reached their destination. Not being pleased with 
the location of that town, a large number of the emi- 



* Douglass' Summary, Vol. 2. 
t Naumkeak. $ Prince's Chro. 

§ Prince. 

II Seventeen sail arrived during the year. Dudley's Letter to the Coun- 
tess of Lincoln. His. Col. 1 Se. vol. 8. 



13 



grants removed to Charlestown,* while the others 
were dispersed over the country, from Saugusf to 
Dorchester,t and settlements were speedily com- 
menced at Medford, Watertown, Cambridge, Boston, 
and Roxbury. 

The emigrants who accompanied Governor Win- 
throp, experienced many of the calamities which 
were encountered by their compatriots, who had 
joined the preceding expeditions under Carver and 
Endecott. They were alike afflicted with those 
fatal diseases which result from great and unaccus- 
tomed labour, the deprivations of abundant and 
healthy food, appropriate raiment, and adequate pro- 
tection from the vicissitudes and inclemencies of the 
weather. Dudley, in his letter to the Countess of 
Lincoln, describes the effects of these chastening 
adversities with the resignation, fortitude and hopes 
of a christian champion. " Of the people wiio came 
over with us, from the time of their setting sail from 
England to December, there died, by estimation, 
200 at the least; so low hath the Lord brought us. 
Well, yet they who survived were not discouraged, 
but bearing God's corrections with humility, and 
trusting in his mercies, and considering how, after a 
lower ebb, he had raised up our neighbors, at Ply- 
mouth, we began to consult about a fit place to build 
a town upon."^ 

There was considerable difficulty in selecting a 
site for the capital of the colony, as the inhabitants 
of each settlement gave a preference to their own 
location. To decide this important question, " the 

* Mishawam. t Lynn. | Mattapan. 

§His. Col. 1 Se. vol. .8. 



14 



Governor and most of the Assistants and others met 
at Roxbury, on the sixth of December, and there 
agreed to build a town fortified upon the Neck, be- 
tween that and Boston, and a committee was appoint- 
ed to consider of all things requisite."* 

This committee met at Roxbury, on the fourteenth 
of December, and concluded that the place which 
had been designated was not proper : " because men 
would be forced to keep tw^o families ; there was no 
running water ; and most of the people had built 
already, and would not be able to build again. "f 

At a meeting held in Watertown, on the twenty- 
first of December, that was considered a " fit place," 
but was given up for Cambridge, where the seat of 
Government was established, for a short time, when 
Boston became the metropolis of Massachusetts. 

The Indian appellation of Shawmut was changed 
to Trimountain by the early visitors of the coast, and 
having received its present name at the second Court 
of Assistants, holden at Charlestown on the seventh 
day of September, 1630, the foundation of the city 
has been dated from that day;t and as Roxbury^ is 
mentioned for the first time, in the records of the 
third Court of Assistants, held on the 28th of Sep- 
tember, II as one of the plantations, on w hich a portion 
of a general tax of fifty pounds was levied, that day 
has been assumed as the period of its settlement. TI 
But it is certain, that many families had established 
themselves here some months previous, for the 

*Gov. Winthrop's His. New-England. t Ibid. 

i Prince's Cliro. His. § Note A. || Prince's Chro. His. 

IT According to the Gregorian, or New Style, the date of the settlement 
of Bodton is the 17th of Septeniber, and that of Ro.xbiuy the 8th of Oc- 
tober. 



15 



amount of the tax imposed upon Roxbury was greater 
than the quota paid by Salem and Medford, and but 
little less than the assessments upon Charlestown 
and Dorchester.* It also appears by the Register 
of births, that a child was born in this parish, in 
July, 1630.t 

Neither very exact or extensive information is at- 
tainable, in relation to the early history of Rox- 
bury, as the first volume of the town records has been 
lost, and the second does not commence before the 
29th of April, 1648. The name, according to Wood, 
who visited this country in 1633, was derived from 
the ruggedness of the soil. J 

The records of the church commence, with the 
names and biographical sketches of some of the prin- 
cipal members. The first person mentioned is Wil- 
liam Pinchon, w ho is said to be " one of the first 
foundation of the church ;" and Prince states, that he 
was also " the principal founder of the town, — that 
he was a gentleman of learning and religion, the nine- 
teenth Associate mentioned in the Charter and the 
sixth Associate who come over." ^ He was annually 
chosen to the office of Assistant until 1 636 ; and 
" when so many removed from these parts to plant 
Connecticut River, he also with other company went 
thither, and planted at a place called Agawam," || 
the site of the present flourishing town of Spring- 
field, and thus became " the father of two towns in 
Massachusetts. "II " Afterwards" it is remarked in 
the Church Records he wrote a Dialogue concerning 



* See Note B. t Register of Births in Roxbury, 

tSee Note A. § Prince's Chro. Hist. 

II Rox. Ch. Records. IT Eliot's Bi. Dictionary. 



16 



justification which was printed in^ 1650, styled the 
"Meritorious Prize, — a book full of error and 
wickedness and some heresies, which the General 
Court of Massachusetts condemned to be burnt, and 
appointed Mr. John Norton the preacher at Ipswich 
to refute the errors contained therein." * 

How deluded, and heedless was the liCgislature ; 
how unjust and reprehensible its anathema ; for 
Pinchon was one of the most virtuous, intelligent, 
pious, able and independent men of the age, — the 
Priestly of the young Republic. Although de- 
nounced by the Government, his character and con- 
duct are above reproach. His religious conceptions 
were centuries in advance of the period in which he 
lived ; and while we regret the indignities he suf- 
fered, we rejoice that the name of such an honest, 
upright and learned Christian emblazons the first 
page of our parochial annals ; — that the founder of 
our church and town, was among the most worthy of 
all the emigrants, f 

When the Church members of this town formed an 
association, is uncertain ; but probably in the autumn 
of 1630, or early in 1631. It appears by the records 
that " the people joined to the Church at Dorchester, 
till God should give them an opportunity to be a 
church by themselves, when George Alcock, was 
chosen to be a Deacon, especially to the regard 
brethren at Roxbury ; and after he adjoined himself 
to this Church at Roxbury, he was ordained a dea- 
con." t 



* Roxbury Church Records. -f See Note C. 
t Roxbury Church Records. 



17 



The first Pastor was Thomas Weld, and although 
his name is the second recorded, among the seven- 
teen males, who appear to have formed the consti- 
tuting members, not a word is added thereto. He 
arrived with his family at Boston in the William and 
Francis on the fifth of June, 1632,* and in July 
" after many imparlances and a day of humiliation, 
by those of Boston and Roxbury, to seek the Lord 
for Mr. Weld his disposing, and the advice of 
those of Plymouth being taken, at length he resolved 
to sit down with them of Roxbury," f and about 
that time he was invested in the pastoral office over 
them." J 

Mr. Weld came from Tirling in Essex. He was 
a man of considerable talents and learning ; and hav- 
ing rendered himself obnoxious to the penalties of 
the laws, against non-conformists, which the church 
and state were then eager and prompt to exact, he 
was obliged to flee to New-England for protection. 
But, alas ! for the fallibility of human nature ; how 
profitless to him were the stern lessons of intol- 
erance. Scarcely had he taken refuge among his 
countrymen, who had sought liberty by expatriation, 
before he became a high-priest of persecution, — a 
volunteer denunciator of all other sects, and of all 
opinions wiiich quadrated not with his own religious 
tenets. The conspicuous and reprehensible part he 
took in the cruel and memorable prosecution of Mrs. 
Hutchinson, which ended in the excommunication 
and banishment of that much wronged lady, is a 
lamentable instance of the baneful effects of mis- 

* Winthrop's History. t Winthrop's History. 
tPrince's Cliro. His. 



18 



guided piety and religious fanaticism. It has east a 
deep shadow over the memory of that honest, but 
dehided man, and fixed a most dishonorable stain 
upon the early history of this Commonwealth. He 
had left the temples and altars of his fathers, that he 
might worship God, according to the dictates of his 
own conscience, and then, with pharisaical bigotry, 
denounces a virtuous and intelligent female as " the 
American Jezabel," for merely presuming to exercise 
the same freedom. 

In the equally oppressive and reprehensible pro- 
ceedings against the illustrious Roger Williams, — 
the exiled founder of Rhode-Island, — he evinced the 
same uncompromising spirit, and rashly aided in driv- 
ing forth from our borders, that great patriarch of 
civil and religious liberty. 

Not satisfied with this rigid discharge of his imag- 
ined evangelical duties, in the councils of the govern- 
ment, he hurled his anathemas, through the medium 
of the press, against Antinomians, Quakers, Jews and 
Anabaptists, with a prodigality of invective, which 
rivalled that of Rome and Canterbury. 

Mr. Weld was sent agent to Great Britain, with 
the renowned Hugh Peters, in 1641, and never re- 
turned. He went to Ireland with Lord Forbes, 
where he remained for some time, and then returned 
to his parish and living in the Bishoprick of Derham, 
from which he was ejected in 1662.* 

At this distant period, it is difficult to give cre- 
dence, and painful to advert to those unfortunate acts 
of mistaken piety and ill-directed zeal, Avhich so inju- 

* Eliot's Bioif. Die. 



19 



riously affect the reputation of our ancient pastor and | 

his deluded coadjutors ; but we are bound to look I 

back with impartial minds, and if "it is not meet j 

that every nice offence should bear his comment," ; 

w here there is so much worthy of praise ; still, deeds j 

of grave and dangerous import should not be too ' 

readily excused, for we must learn from the errors of : 

past ages, how to avoid them in the present, and to j 

guard against their recurrence in the future. His- | 

tory is the grave Mentor of succeeding generations, ; 

whose sage instructions and admonitions are perpet- \ 

ually illustrated, by impressive examples of the evils j 

and benefits, which result from their violation or ! 

observance. Let us, then, well consider, whether i 

we are not continually aiding, or giving countenance ' 

to measures, which have too great a similitude to j 

those that have been the subject of animadversion ; j 

whether there is not less of that truly christian char- ! 

ity and toleration among us, which all sects profess and i 
advocate, but each too often mistakes or disregards. 

If much has been done to correct the foibles of the 
church, to divest religion of its corruptions, and pre- 
sent the character and revelations of the Messiah, in 

the full splendour of their pristine purity and grandeur, : 
there is much, very much, which must occasion 
regret and compunctious visitations, in the minds of 

the devout and sincere, and which loudly calls for : 
prompt emendation. 

On the 2d of November, 1631, the Rev. John | 

Eliot arrived at Boston, in the ship Lyon, with the | 

Governor's lady and children, and sixty other passen- * 

gers.* He immediately joined the first church, and, { 

* Winthrop's History. | 



20 



Mr. Wilson the pastor, having gone to England for 
his wife and family, he preached with them until 
the autumn of 1632, when he was invited to take 
charge of the church in Roxbury ; " though," as Gov- 
ernor Winthrop states, " Boston labored all they 
could, both with the congregation of Roxbury and 
with Mr. Eliot himself, alleging their want of him, 
and the covenant between them. Yet he could not 
be diverted from accepting the call of Roxbury ; so 
he was dismissed." 

Under his name, in the Roxbury Church records, 
the following reasons are assigned for the preference 
given to that town. " His friends were come over 
and settled at Roxbury, to whom he was fore enga- 
ged, that if he were not called, before they came, he 
was to join them : whereupon the Church at Rox- 
bury called him to be their Teacher, in the end of 
summer, and soon after was ordained to that office. 
Also his [intended] wife came along with the rest of 
his friends, — she found him, and soon after their 
coming, they were married ; viz. in the eighth 
month."* 

Prince is of opinion, that his friends came in the 
Lyon, which arrived on the sixteenth of September, 
1632; and that he was not ordained until the fifth, 
— perhaps the ninth of November. 

But little is know^n of Mr. Eliot before he left his 
native country. He was born in 1604. Nothing is 
related of his parents, except that they gave him a 
liberal education.! 

Equally distinguished for learning, piety and phi- 
lanthropy, this excellent man acquired the esteem 

* October. t Eliot's Bio<f. Die. 



21 



and respect of his contemporaries, lelt a name dear 
to his adopted country and illustrious throughout the 
world, as the Jirst herald of Christianity to the sava- 
ges of North America. His parochial duties were 
performed with a zeal and fidelity which evinced the 
purest principles of religion, and the kindest feelings 
of benevolence. As a missionary, he relinquished 
the endearments of civilized society, encountered the 
dangers of the wilderness, and participated in the 
privations of the wild, precarious and comfortless life 
of barbarians. With such holy ardour and untiring 
perseverance did he prosecute his great and com- 
mendable labours, as to have acquired the exalted 
title of The Apostle to the Indians. 

To qualify himself for that high office, and render 
his services most acceptable, useful and efficient, he 
learned the Massachusetts language, established 
schools among the various tribes, and performed the 
arduous task of translating the Bible, and various 
practical treatises, for the instruction of his new dis- 
ciples of the forest. 

His whole life was devoted to the amelioration of 
the condition of all ranks in society. Amiable, unos- 
tentatious and parental, he was as remarkable for his 
humility, disinterestedness and generosity, as for his 
intellectual attainments and exemplary deportment 
as a divine. His parishioners were his children, and 
they venerated him as a father. So universally was 
he respected, and so important were his services 
considered, that Mather remarks, " there was a tra- 
dition among us, that the country could never perish 
as long as Eliot was alive."* 

* Mather's Magnalia. 



22 



When he became old, and could no longer preach, 
and knowmg that Roxbury had cheerfully supported 
two ministers, by voluntary contributions for a long 
time, he requested permission to relinquish his com- 
pensation. " I do here," said this venerable teacher, 
" give up my salary to the Lord Jesus Christ ; and 
now, brethren, you may fix that upon any man, that 
God shall make a pastor." But the society informed 
him, that they accounted his presence worth any sum 
granted for his support, even if he were superannu- 
ated, so as to do no further service for them.* 

Frugal and temperate, through a long life, he never 
indulged in the luxuries of the table. His drink was 
water, and he said of wine, — " It is a noble, gener- 
ous liquor, and we should be humbly thankful for it, 
— but, as I remember, water was made before it." 
Thus, among his other good deeds, he taught, by 
precept and example, the importance of that tempe- 
rance, which now wages such an honorable crusade 
against the demoralizing vice of inebriety. 

Having presided over the Church of Roxbury for 
nearly sixty years, this revered pastor calmly ended 
his earthly existence on the twentieth of May, 1690, 
in the eighty-sixth year of his age. 

During the first year, after the establishment of the 
colony, but few settlers arrived from England. The 
undertaking was deemed so hazardous, that many 
who were "oppressed for their pure scriptural reli- 
gion, and breathing after liberty, were willing to see 
how the first grand transportation with the power of 
the government fared, before they w^ere free to ven- 
ture themselves and their families."! The result 

* Eliot's Biog. Die. t Prince's Chro. His. 



23 



ivas, unfortunately, adverse to their expectations, 
md most discouraging to those who had embarked 
in the bold and adventurous experiment. Their truly 
appalling sufferings produced such a general despon- 
dence, that more than two hundred returned to Eng- 
and in the autumn of 1630 and the spring of 1631, 
who gave an unfavorable account of the country ; 
representing it " as very cold, sickly, rocky, barren, 
Luifit for cultivation, and like to keep the people mis- 
erable."* To these lugubrious tales were joined the 
false and malicious charges against the government, 
which the profligate and unprincipled Morton, of 
Mount Wollaston, industriously circulated. But on 
the receipt of more correct and satisfactory informa- 
tion, as to the improved condition of the colonists, the 
salubrity of the climate, fertility of the soil, and 
general prosperity of the Company ; — the tide of 
emigration again flowed towards these shores, and in 
:onsequence of renew^ed persecutions in Great Bri- 
tain, and the promulgation of an order of council, 
that his majesty did not intend to impose the cere- 
monies of the established church upon his American 
subjects, the population rapidly increased, after 1633. 
Fortunate in the selection of their executive offi- 
[^ers, the citizens were willingly guided by their 
instructions, and cheerfully cooperated in the esta- 
alishment of such regulations, as were deemed expe- 
dient, for protection against foreign assailants, the 
anticipated inroads of the savages, the preservation 
3f the public peace, and the security of the persons 
and property of individuals. 



* Winthrop's History. 



24 



Governor Winthrop was u gentleman of iinini- 
peachable integrity, polished and conciliating in his 
manners, and preeminent for his assiduous devotion 
to the best interests of the company, which had con- 
fided to him the administration of their distant gov- 
ernment. Descended from an ancient and highly 
respectable family of Groton, in the county of Suf- 
folk, he was early respected for his virtues, and 
honoured by public attentions for his proficiency in 
the science of jurisprudence. Having gained the 
esteem, respect and confidence of his associates, he 
was unanimously chosen the Jason of the American 
expedition. Being placed in a new, difficult and 
most responsible situation, it required such an hon- 
esty t)f purpose, magnanimity of spirit and moral 
firmness, — such a just conception of his various du- 
ties, and prudential exercise of his extensive powers, 
as are rarely concentred in any individual. But he 
" bore his faculties so meek, and was so clear in his 
great office," that all delighted to do him honour. 

Thomas Dudley, who accompanied Winthrop as 
Deputy Governor, was of a sterner temperament, 
more exclusive, determined and unyielding in his 
religious and political opinions, and less conciliatory 
in his manners. As an officer in the army of Eliza- 
beth, he had been schooled in the rigid discipline of 
the camp, and imbibed ideas of authority and subor- 
dination, which it was difficult to surrender, in his 
novel and perplexing sphere of action ; but he was a 
man of superior natural endowments, well educated, 
ready in the despatch of business, and merits the 
high reputation he acquired, as an intelligent, active, 
energetic and faithful magistrate. 



25 



If, in the early history of New-Engkind, there 
should be perceived some few instances of illiberality 
in the administration of the government, — some acts 
of injustice and oppression ; let it be remembered, 
that the age was tempestuous, — that all Christendom 
was roused to arms in the cause of religion, — that 
nation w^as contending against nation, while in the 
midst of each, civil wars were raging with unexam- 
pled violence, between exasperated sectarians; that 
the times were unpropitious to the complete compre- 
hension and practical observance of those enlarged 
principles of freedom, which philosophical theorists 
had boldly announced, and they aspired to inculcate 
and establish. If we cannot approve their whole 
course of conduct, we should not forget whatever 
may look like excuse, and be urged in their defence. 
This justice requires; and however inconclusive, we 
must, at least, give them credit for indubitable purity 
of motive, and a sincere belief in the rectitude of their 
conduct, in extenuation of the errors which were 
committed. If the means for accomplishing the mo- 
mentous objects, for which they had abandoned their 
country, were not always the most appropriate, or 
were even in hostility with their professions, we should 
rather be astonished, that there are so few causes for 
regret and animadversion, than be forward in censure, 
or prone to arraign them before the bar of posterity ; 
for in the end, their sublime experiment was com- 
plete, and we now rejoice in the plenitude of their 
success. 

It is in the meetings of the Assistants, the primi- 
tive assemblies of the freemen, and of their repre- 
sentatives in the General Court, that we are to search 
4 



26 



for the developement, of those fundamental principles 
of government, — that legislative, judicial and political 
polity, which are now our boast. There is to be 
found the nucleus of our constitution, and the origin 
of all those civil, religious, literary, moral and mili- 
tary institutions, for which New-England is distin- 
guished; and we must there seek for the cradle of 
the American Hercules. To them are to be traced 
the causes of our rapid advancement in the arts of 
civilization ; to them are we indebted, for the fruition 
of those countless blessings, which have been fostered 
and enlarged, under that broad aegis of Liberty and 
Independence, which they gallantly extended over 
this western hemisphere. 

How great, then, are the obligations for which we 
are indebted to our chivalric ancestors I They have 
left us an inheritance, which has continued to enhance 
in value, by a ratio of accumulation that is incalcula- 
ble. Six generations have already possessed it, and 
each in succession has been astonished at the vastness 
of the domain ; of its infinite and exhaustless resour- 
ces, and the rapidity of their developement. They, 
like us, have looked back w ith gratitude and admira- 
tion, and forward with elated anticipations of still 
more wonderful results. 

During the long period of the colonial government, 
the citizens of Roxbury were conspicuous for their 
patriotism and liberality; they were ever ready to 
afford their aid in all measures which were deemed 
important to the general weal. In prosecuting the 
various local Indian wars, and those in which the 
parent country was so long involved with France, for 
the complete control of all America, they took an ac- 



27 



live and important part, and furnished several offi- 
cers, who were distinguished for their services. At 
the commencement of the revolution, the position of 
the town was peculiarly interesting from its imme- 
diate connexion with Boston, while in a state of 
siege. Here was encamped the right wing of the 
investing army, and the ruined ramparts which crown 
yonder heights are during monuments of " times 
which tried men's souls," — of those memorable days, 
when the illustrious Washington first mustered his 
forces on the plains of Cambridge. There are still 
left among us a few venerable soldiers, who shared 
the dangers and the glories of his brilliant campaigns. 
Some, who are now present, witnessed and full well 
remember the spirit stirring scenes of Lexington, 
Concord and Bunker Hill, — the embattled squadrons 
which had rushed from every part of the country, to 
enrol themselves under the standard of their great 
chieftain, — those martial movements and passages of 
arms, — that "pomp and circumstance of war," which 
produced such thrilling excitements of hope and fear, 
— of doubt and confidence, that every eye and every 
ear and every thought was turned toward the be- 
leagured metropolis of the north, from whence, on 
every breeze, were expected tidings of weal or wo. 

How many of you must recollect, and Avith such 
vividness of impression, as to appear an event of yes- 
terday, that momentous night, when the father of his 
country passed this eminence with his long array of 
patriot troops. Hushed was the trumpet's clangour, 
and silent the far resounding drum ; stern, noiseless 
and darkly moved on the lengthened column of armed 
men, firmly resolved on victory or death. With 



28 



what eagerness did thousands rush, at the earliest 
dawn, to the surrounding hill-tops, to behold the ban- 
ners of the republic floating triumphantly over the 
heights of Dorchester. And where is now the youth, 
whose heart does not glow with pride and exulta- 
tion, while the aged warrior relates the heroic deeds 
of that eventful period ? Who does not hear with 
amazement of the anxieties, perils and sufferings, 
M hich were then endured by fathers and sons, ma- 
trons and daughters, — of their immense sacrihces in 
their country's cause ? The memory of them can 
never pass away ; they ushered in the morning of 
our national existence, and will be more highly prized 
by each succeeding generation. 

Roxbury can number among her sons, or inhabi- 
tants, many distinguished men. It has been the fa- 
vorite residence of Governors Thomas and Joseph 
Dudley, Shirley and Barnard, when under the colo- 
nial government, — and since the establishment of In- 
dependence, of the proscribed Hancock and Adams, 
— the civil Nestor and Ulysses of the revolution, and 
of Bowdoin, Sumner and Eustis, forming a constel- 
lation of statesmen, whose effulgence illumined the 
national route to prosperity and grandeur, and will 
be ever conspicuous in our historical zodiac : — and 
here w ere born Generals Warren and Heath ; — War- 
ren ! that immortal patriot, that eloquent advocate 
of the rights of man, that dauntless soldier, that first 
great martyr of American Liberty. At the mention 
of his venerated name, we involuntarily turn towards 
that consecrated battle-ground where he offered up 
his life in his country's cause, and the whole story of 
our national advent comes fresh and glowing upon 



29 



the mind, in the mustering reminiscences of that glo- 
rious epoch. 

The manner in which the settlements were com- 
menced on this continent, and the entire history of 
their progress, during the two centuries of their ex- 
istence, possess an interest as fascinating as an Ara- 
bian tale, and are as instructive as the lectures of 
philosophy. 

While the nations of Europe were either individu- 
ally convulsed by sanguinary contentions, as to regal 
successions, and the pretended rights and powers of 
princes ; — or were waging wars for conquest or re- 
venge, these far distant colonists were more honora- 
bly engaged in subduing the earth, erecting the sanc- 
tuary of intellectual freedom, and proclaiming the 
rights of man. At times, it is true, these peaceful 
and dignified pursuits were interrupted, and gave 
place to the revolting duties of the battle-field ; but 
it was ever in self-defence, that they reluctantly ex- 
changed the pruning hook for the spear, and relin- 
quished the plough to grasp the sword. Still, wheth- 
er in peace or war, the rallying word, and general 
movement, wds forward, — -forward; nor did they 
stay their firm and steady march, until the whole 
country was united as a free and independent nation. 

But the causes which produced this grand result 
did not then cease to act ; they were soon felt in 
the eastern hemisphere. At the voice of Liberty, 
continental Europe was awakened from the long 
slumbers of despotism, as by an earthquake ; every 
throne was shaken to its foundations ; a political 
tempest burst upon them, whose tremendous sweep 
threatened their universal destruction. If they have, 



30 



for a time, withstood the gathered wrath of long per- 
secuted, outraged, debased and abjected man, when 
roused in the omnipotence of his strength, by the 
spirit of freedom ; it is, that from their lofty summits 
monarchs may behold the surrounding ruins of their 
former grandeur, — learn, by adversity, what was in- 
comprehensible in prosperity, and prepare to yield up 
with dignity portions of their usurped power, — or 
cease to reign. 

This republic is an anomaly among nations. His- 
tory affords no parallel. Of all the instances of colo- 
nizatioii, in ancient or modern times, there is not 
one, which, in motive, character, progress and suc- 
cess, resembles that, which the United States pre- 
sent. The Phoenicians were long celebrated for their 
commercial enterprise and maritime adventures. In 
the pursuit of wealth, they explored the shores of the 
Arabian Gulf, founded numerous cities, from the 
Tyrian " Queen of the ocean" to the pillars of Her- 
cules, and under the patronage of an Egyptian sov- 
ereign, anticipated the periplus of De Gama. The 
Carthagenians excelled their ancestors in nautical 
skill, and in voyages of discovery. Under the Hem- 
ilcos and Hannos, the Cooks and Vancouvers of their 
fleets, provinces were planted on the coasts of Spain, 
an intercourse opened with the barbarous tribes of 
western Africa, the oriental nations, as well as the 
isles of the Atlantic, were their tributaries, and the 
splendid city of Dido became the emporium of the 
world. Greece extended her power throughout the 
fertile borders of the Archipelago, and her Argonauts 
carried the arts of civilization among the distant na- 
tions of the Euxine. The Roman armies scaled the 



31 



Alps, subdued the populous states of Gaul and Ger- 
many, and bore their eagles in triumph to the Che- 
viot Hills of Britain ; but all these movements were 
induced by an insatiate love of conquest or of gain, 
and were rendered subservient to individual or na- 
tional aggrandizement. There was nothing purely 
intellectual in their objects; no master impulse of the 
soul, beyond all merely ambitious or sordid views, 
like that which actuated our valorous progenitors ; — 
they were urged onward by far more commendable 
and powerful incentives, — an uncompromising spirit 
of independence, fidelity to their God, and a deter- 
mined adherence to the principles of liberty. They 
came here, not for plunder or speculation, but to 
enjoy freedom; — to establish civil government, on 
the broad basis of equal rights. 

Contrast our situation with other portions of the 
globe, which have been colonized since the discov- 
eries of Columbus. Look at the vast possessions of 
Spain, Portugal, France and Holland in South Amer- 
ica, Africa and the Indies. How revolting are their 
histories, — how calamitous and deplorable their pre- 
sent situation. The demon of avarice led the inva- 
sions ; their possessions have been drenched with the 
blood of slaughtered millions; and deeds of injustice, 
robbery and cruelty have been perpetrated, disgrace- 
ful to the human race. After centuries of suffering, 
there has been no prospect of amelioration for most 
of the plundered and degraded natives, or to the hu- 
miliated subjects, who have been the willing instru- 
ments of governmental violence, and are now too 
generally reduced to the lowest state of ignorance, 
superstition and vassalage. 



32 



Fortunately, our ancestors sprung from the Ana- 
charsis of nations, and were educated under a gov- 
ernment, where the great principles of liberty had 
been inculcated for ages. They claimed the Char- 
ter of Runnemede as an indefeasible inheritance ; 
and representation, and trial by jury, — those chief 
pillars of freedom, were their birthrights. Siffiulta- 
neously with the progress of their settlements, more 
liberal ideas of government were extending through- 
out the parent country. Sidney, Hampden, Harring- 
ton, Milton and Locke had boldly taken the field in 
their support, and become the admired expounders 
and advocates of constitutional law, in America, as 
well as in England. Bacon had confidently appealed 
to reason and common sense, to subvert the despot- 
ism of ignorance in the realms of philosophy; and 
they fearlessly submitted questions of political sci- 
ence to the same august tribunals. It was to the 
majesty of the mind, that they paid allegiance, and 
unfolded their enlarged and enlightened views of 
government. An impetus was given to tliought, 
which electrified the nation. The people were made 
to understand the nature and value of their civil priv- 
ileges. Reflection and inquiry preceded acquiescence 
and suhmission, and the power of intellect became 
more respected than the monarch's sceptre. Preju- 
dices yielded to argument, — customs ceased to com- 
mand respect from their mere antiquity, and existing 
regulations were appreciated but in proportion to 
their intrinsic merits. The general tone of thought, 
and the predominant cast of the literature of the sev- 
enteenth and eighteenth centuries were favorable to 
the establishment of free institutions. Both were 



33 



deeply tinctured with just conceptions and rational 
expositions of the rights of man, and the duties of 
rulers. It was under such auspicious circumstances 
that the states of this Union were founded and pros- 
pered. There was a fortuitous combination of causes, 
which had a powerful, salutary and progressive influ- 
ence, in the organization of the colonial governments, 
and they naturally and constantly approximated to- 
wards pure representative republics. 

Far different has been the fate of other European 
colonies. If we have recently been gladdened by 
the tidings of independence, which some of the Span- 
ish provinces have achieved, how discouraging is the 
present aspect of their affairs ; how hopeless the pros- 
pect of their being able to establish liberal and per- 
manent constitutions. So long have the unfortunate 
and much wronged inhabitants of those delightful 
climes been bowed down under the yoke of despot- 
ism ; — so deficient are they even in the rudiments of 
education ; — so demoralizing has been the effect of 
the national religion, — so adverse to the freedom of 
thought, and the progress of intelligence, that they 
seem incapable of self-government, and offer a mel- 
ancholy spectacle for the contemplation of the philan- 
thropist. Those ardent children of the sun, whom 
we have regarded with such deep interest and high 
expectation ; who have evinced such a zealous love 
of liberty, and displayed such consummate gallantry 
in the field, when battling for independence, we are 
compelled to turn from with disappointment, sorrow 
and commiseration. - Demagogues have usurped the 
stations of the honorable, the virtuous and patriotic, 
and civil wars are completing the devastations, which 
5 



34 



those for the deliverance from foreign domination 
had rendered sufficiently terrible. But we must not 
despair ; the fiat has gone forth, and those infant 
republics will ultimately be embraced in a second 
American Union. 

Those bright visions of universal emancipation, on 
which we had so long gazed in the east, disappeared 
like the delusive and evanescent shadowings of the 
mirage ; and once more, the dreary waste of despot- 
ism opened upon the view, distinct, cheerless and illim- 
itable. The unholy league of kings determined to 
eradicate every vestige of moral, physical and practi- 
cal liberty ; and if constitutions and charters were tol- 
erated in form, they ceased to be regarded as reali- 
ties ; for even the names are odious to princes, and are 
considered incompatible with their haughty preten- 
sions of unlimited domination. They act on the pre- 
posterous and inverted theory, that the people are their 
passive subjects, and that they are not subject to the 
sovereign will of the people ; that the created be- 
comes supreme by the very exercise of that omnipo- 
tent power which gives it existence ; that there is 
an inexplicable transubstantiation of attributes, which 
it is criminal to investigate, and impious to discredit. 
So complete were the conquests of legitimacy, that 
the murmurs of discontent were either silenced by 
terror, or expiated in the dungeon or on the scaffold. 
The volcano of revolutions, so fearful and disastrous 
to the Pompeias of royalty, appeared closed for ever ; 
and we had, for a period, abandoned all hopes of 
freedom in Europe, — save in that glorious isle, that 
verdant Oasis in the vast Sahara of royalty, where 
repose the ashes of our ancestors : but how suddenly, 



35 



— how unexpectedly have they been revived. France 
agam is free ; her heroic sons have a second time 
proclaimed their rights, broken the chains which had 
been forged for their irremediable bondage, bid defi- 
ance to the myrmidons of oppression, and hurled the 
presumptuous tyrant from his throne. 

What was deemed impossible of accomplishment, 
during a generation, at least, and had been generally 
ranked among the bare possibilities of the distant 
future, has come upon us like the revelation of Sinai 
to the wonder-stricken Israelites ! At the moment 
when the monarchy appeared as firmly established 
as during the splendid reign of the fourteenth Louis ; 
amidst the rejoicings of the court, for a kingdom 
conquered and a prince deposed, the reign of the 
proud Bourbon has been terminated. During thirty 
years of adversity, that ill-starred man " had learned 
nothing and forgot nothing." He had grown old 
without experience, and reigned without Judgement. 
Abandoned by his army and execrated by his sub- 
jects, the false, perfidious and perjured Charles has 
been banished the realm, and doomed to expiate his 
crimes in perpetual exile. 

What an imposing spectacle does that vast empire 
now present ; how amazing the transition ; how 
fraught with incidents of stupendous import ; what 
bewildering thoughts rush upon the mind ; — the past, 
the present and the future seem mingled and con- 
founded, each claiming the precedence of intense 
contemplation. We had lived during an age of rev- 
olutions ; w^itnessed a rapid succession of mighty 
events ; and when the lengthened series appeared 
to have closed at last, we are again astounded by 



36 



still another, and of far more momentous, yet glad- 
dening consequence. To the friends of constitu- 
tional government, it is a gleaming bow of promise, 
that nations, henceforth, shall be free. 

In this majestic scene, the regenerated spirit of 
man assumes a grandeur, unprecedented in the an- 
nals of his race. It is the triumph of mind ; the 
sublime developements of its loftiest attributes ; the 
magnificent result of far reaching intelligence. That 
nobility of the soul, which takes precedence of all 
earthly distinctions, all created rank, all degrees of 
regal consequence, has boldly put forth its claims of 
preeminence, and demanded the sanction of public 
opinion, — the only sovereign to whom it deigns to 
owe allegiance. The people have learned to appre- 
ciate its divine potency, and guided by its influence, 
where is the power that can again humble their pride, 
debase their character, and reduce them to an igno- 
minious state of slavery ? 

How pleasing to behold the veteran and venerated 
Lafayette, — the last surviving general of our revolu- 
tion, maintaining the stern integrity of his charac- 
ter and gathering fresh laurels, as the distinguished 
advocate and soldier of Liberty. On this occasion 
of universal gladness, we have especial cause of 
gratulation, that American citizens were seen in the 
thronged ranks, mingling their blows and their blood 
with their ancient allies, where the heady current of 
the battle-tide most raged ; and when victory was 
achieved, and the welkin rang with the enthusiastic 
shouts of " Long live Lafayette," " The Father or 
THE French," joyfully recognized the well known 
Toices of his transatlantic children. 



37 



It was under the banners of this republic, that the 
valiant commander of the National Guards first un- 
sheathed his sword for freedom, and in many a well 
fought field, purchased, with his blood, the valued 
rights of an American citizen. As the brave lieu- 
tenant, the zealous compatriot and the steadfast 
friend of Washington, his name is embalmed in every 
heart. For more than half a century, his preeminent 
virtues and constant fidelity to the rights of man 
have been severely tested. He has endured the 
scathing miseries of an insulted exile, the horrors of 
the dungeon, and the withering influence of poverty, 
with an unabated fortitude, and a constancy of prin- 
ciple and of purpose, which all Grecian and all Ro- 
man story cannot match. " Without fear and with- 
out reproach," he has bid defiance to the rigours of 
oppression ; — in three memorable revolutions, he has 
loomed, 

"Like a great sea-mark, standing every flaw. 
And saving those that eyed him ;" 

and by his recent bold and generous conduct, — his 
last and grandest achievement, which has secured 
the Freedom of Elections, suppressed a National 
Hierarchy, and given to his country a " Republican 
King," he has conquered universal admiration. 

The nations of Europe will emulate the example 
of France ; the freedom of the Press having been 
there permanently established, it becomes the lever 
of Archimedes, and will move the world. The fate 
of absolute monarchies has been irrevocably doomed ; 
— while despots wielded their iron sceptres with 
apparent primeval confidence and power, the start- 
ling denunciation has appeared upon their palace 



38 



walls, ill flaming characters, so prominent, distinct 
and comprehensible, that no master of the Chaldeans 
is required, to make known the maddening inter- 
pretation. That huge and terrific system of abso- 
lute, unlimited and irresponsible sovereignty, which 
the combined kings of Europe fondly believed they 
were successfully establishing, has been shivered to 
atoms by the lightnings of intelligence. 

The American Republic has been a living and 
perpetual precedent of what man can and will ac- 
complish, Avhen reason sw'ays the empire of the 
soul, and death is considered preferable to degrada- 
tion ; — like the orb of day, it has illumined the po- 
litical firmament, vivified the dormant energies of the 
mind in the darkest realms of tyranny, and cheered 
the oppressed in every region of the globe. In vain 
the base minions of royalty confidently looked for its 
declining splendour, and anxiously awaited its going 
down in eternal night ; but it still rides high in the 
ecliptic of its glory, and culminates in perpetual noon, 
— lighting onward, innumerable nations, in their tri- 
umphant march of freedom. 



NOTES. 



A. 

The following account of Roxbiiry is contained in New-England's Pros- 
pect, a small but interesting work, published by William Wood, who vis- 
ited this country in 1633. 

A mile from this town, [Dorchester,] liefh Roxbury, which is a fair and 
handsome country town ; the inhabitants of it being all very rich : a clear 
and fresh brook runs through the town, and a quarter of a mile to the 
north is a small river called Stony River, upon which is built a water mill. 
Up westward it is something rocky, whence it hath the name of Roxbury. 

B. 

Extract from Prince's Chronological History. 

" Sept. 28, 1630. The third court of assistants at Charlesfown. Pre- 
sent the Governor, Deputy Governor, Captain Endicott, Messrs. Ludlow, 
Norwell, Coddington, Bradstrcet, Rossiler, Pynchon. 

Ordered, 3d, that fifty pound be levied out of the several plantations 
for Mr. Patrick and Mr. Underbill ;* (I suppose for some military pur- 
pose,) namely. 



1. 


Charlestown to pay 


- 11. 


6. 


Medford to pay 


3/. 


2. 


Boston - - - - 


11 


7. 


Salem _ - - - 


3 


3. 


Dorchester - - 


7 


S. 


Wessaguscus, after 




4. 


Roxbury - - - 


- 5 




called Wevmouth 


2 


5. 


Watertown - - 


11 


9. 


Nantasket - - - 


1 



At a Court held in Boston on the 26th of July, 1631, it was ordered, — 
" That every first Tuesday in every month, there be a general training of 
Captain Underbill's company at Boston and Roxbury," from which it ap- 
pears it was composed of the freemen of both of those towns. 

C. 

William Pynchon or Pinchon was appointed a Colonel in the militia 
after he settled in Springfield, where he also acted as Indian Agent, and 
prosecuted a lucrative trade, with the numerous tribes on the borders of 
Connecticut river, till 1652 ; but, as Mr. Savage observes, " having re- 
ceived some ill treatment from the government, on account of his relig- 
ious principles, he with Capt. Smith, his son-in-law, went to England 

* Underbill commanded the first military company which was organized 
in the colony. 



40 - NOTES. 

never to return. I presume Pynchon had written a book, above the spirit 
of that age ; for our government, in a curious letter to the Prince of fa- 
naticks. Sir Henry Vane, give no clear idea of its doctrines. See 3 His. 
Coil. 1. 35. His son John was of the Council in 1665, and many of his 
descendants are in places of public usefulness in Springfield and its neigh- 
borhood, and at Salem."* 

After his return to England, he published an answer to Mr. Norton's 
attempted refutation of his religious dialogue. 

Great efforts have been made to procure a copy of Mr. Pynchon's tract 
on " Justification," but without success. If any individual possesses that 
celebrated pamphlet, it is very desirable that if should be placed in one 
of our public libraries ; that, with Norton's reply and Pynchon's rejoin- 
der, would make a most rare and interesting volume. 

♦Note by the Hon. James Savage in Gov. Winthrop's History, vol. 1, 
p. 12. 



T»C 



3 




^""^^ 



* ^' "■ 



^° ^ "" -^ .. -^ 










>^ . I ' • , 



"o V^ 


















A. o. 







0" ** 



o 1 



*^- 









0' 






0- 



V ""'"'' ^°' 



'^--i:,{j/'^\ 









^^ .^•^ 



V 




J,** I ST. AUGUSTINE ,0^ . • '^ " " C? -**^ t o " ° -» " 

FLA. ^ ^ *M//^ 









.^ o1 



